New Delhi, May 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided not to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers on Thursday.
Banerjee, who was initially slated to attend the ceremony, has cited the PM’s invitation to families of those killed in incidents of political violence in West Bengal over the past few years as the reason for turning down the invitation. Banerjee said there had been “no political murders in Bengal”.
According to her, the deaths have occurred due to “enmity, family quarrels and other disputes” and not due to political reasons.
“The ceremony is an august occasion to celebrate democracy, not one that should be devalued by any political party which uses it as an opportunity to score political points,” Banerjee said in a statement released on Twitter.
Besides leaders from BIMSTEC countries and a host of celebrities and politicians, 54 special guests would be attending the swearing-in ceremony. The Prime Minister has specially invited families of the BJP workers who were killed in incidents of political violence in West Bengal over the past few years, a senior BJP leader said.
The BJP won 303 seats in the Lok Sabha election, and the party’s performance in West Bengal was spectacular as it took its tally from two in 2014 to 18 this time. During the election, Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had repeatedly highlighted the issue of political violence against their party members. IANS
